Blue Jays in Winter

My Blue Jays have disappeared since the weather has gotten colder. I haven't really noticed them leaving in previous winters-I've been checking my local reference books and can't find anything about them disappearing during cold weather. I guess I've been paying more attention to them this winter because I set up a feeding station with peanuts especially for them so I could take photos of them. Now all I'm getting are squirrels-at first the blue jays were here everyday at peanut time and they would chase off the squirrels so they could get the peanuts-very strange. Can anyone help me with this mystery?
Thanks-
Deb

Maybe they're eating some of the peanuts they took away to hide earlier?

Resin

Resin, that could be-Lord knows that they took enough of them to last quite awhile!

Hi Deb, Are the peanuts your putting out "in the shell"?

Yep, in the shell-nice and fresh. It's weird, they just stopped coming. I wouldn't think that the squirrels would be too much competition for them, though there are a lot of squirrels-very fat well fed ones! Actually, I have some shelled peanuts in my regular mix, too, so they could have their choice.

Mine too! They left right around Thanksgiving. Now I don't even hear them around the neighborhood. My sister lives North of us both (Ironton) and she has a ton, so it is not the cold.

It's very odd-where did they go?

My Blue Jays disappeared and have been gone for two weeks! I have all of their favorite foods for them. Wonder where the heck they are?

GG

I had one show up this weekend after a LONG absence. I heard him screeching and took some peanuts and bread out to his spot and it didn't take long for him to come back to my yard.
I love bluejays... I have one that will come to my window and screech at me if he gets to my yard before I get peanuts out to his spot. But before this weekend, it'd been a long while since I'd seen or even heard one.

If the peanut supply was gone, I had one that would fly to the front porch, sit on the porch railing and jump up and down to get my attention, all the while screeching it's head off! Then, after I opened the door and let it know I saw it, it would help itself to a Meow Mix morsel from the cat dish and fly away. Only to return in about an hour to check out the peanut supply (which was replenished by then)! I love them! They are clowns. Sure hope they return soon.

GG

Do yall feed raw peanuts or roasted?

Betty

Roasted, unsalted plus in the shell peanuts. They also have access to a variety of fruits. Are raw peanuts better?

GG

I get both shelled raw peanuts and peanuts in a shell. The shelled nuts go in a hanging nut feeder and I put a few in a dish... those mostly get eaten by the red bellied woodpecker. The nuts in a shell go in a dish and what the stinkin' squirrels get chased away from either go to the jays or the titmice.
I'm fortunate that there's a feed store that sells nuts in the shell — in fact all their feed — reallycheap... Cooper Feed and Seed... my aun'ts even ordered from them online and had stuff delivered to her in Missouri, they're so inexpensive.

This message was edited Jan 15, 2008 11:42 AM

I will definitely give that try. I will also check out ordering from them.

The squirrels live down by a stream that borders my lot. I have a ton of them zipping by but for some reason, they have not yet bothered any of my feeders this year. I have no earthly idea why, but hope I have not jinxed this by making that statement.

Thanks,

GG

Thanks all.

Betty